Colorado Fires Damage Air Quality, May Threatens Recovery Of COVID-19 Survivors

Denver residents with respiratory and lung illness may be used to restricting their outdoor activities during the summer months due to frequent Colorado wildfires, however, it appears coronavirus survivors in the area will now have to adapt to the same habit.

Fox's KDVR reports that doctors in the state are advising individuals who are recovering from COVID-19 to monitor their health and limit their time outdoors amid alerts of poor air quality. The warning comes after the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an Action Day for Multiple Pollutants as smoke from wildfires in the mountains spreads to the metro area.

Those who have noticed breathing issues while recovering from the coronavirus are advised to take extra precautions on Action Days. Doctors suggest those at risk only go outdoors during the early mornings hours or when it’s cooler in the evening.

Dr. Mark Kearns, a pulmonary critical care physician at Denver Health, told the outlet that some coronavirus survivors are still suffering from health issues.

“We know that many of our patients that have recovered from COVID, even people that have been severe enough to require care in the hospital or ICU like months later still having symptoms,” he said. “Whether that be ongoing shortness of breath, fatigue — [they] just haven’t been able to return back to their normal state of health.”

Despite the warning, Dr. Sarah Jolley, director of the Post-COVID Clinic at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, revealed there isn’t a definitive link between those who are recovering from the coronavirus and poor air quality. Since researchers are still learning about the coronavirus, doctors have no way of predicting how sensitive recovering COVID-19 patients will be to things like smoke.

“Patients who have had COVID, they’re certainly more at risk for having airway sensitivity, and it’s possible that their symptoms may get worse in the setting of poor air quality, but we don’t have enough data to know for sure,” Jolley said.